The most anticipated race of the year is definitely the ROAR 1/10th Off-road Electric Nationals. Ultimately, this year’s race proved to also be one of the most exciting races of the year. The field was stacked full of the best racers from all corners of North America to compete for the individual class National titles and with so much talent in this year’s field, it was going to be an epic show in all classes!!! Some even commented that this was the most competitive nationals field of all time.
The best of both the Stock and Modified drivers were all in attendance to have a crack at a National title that so few in our industry will ever make claim to. In the modified class, you have to beat the best of the best like Ryan Cavalieri, Ryan Maifield, Dakotah Phend, and Ty Tessmann, which obviously isn’t an easy task …….ever. If you want to win a stock title, you have to compete with the elite stock racers that are backed by motor specialists and team support that takes stock racing to the highest level. This race wasn’t for the faint-hearted as it’s an all-out race of driver and equipment.
The JConcepts crew came in full force hoping to provide the team with knowledge, product support, and positivity to give our team drivers the best chance for success. With RC racing being primarily an individual sport, it also incorporates the intricacies of a full-fledged race team and team support. Passing information with tires and tire prep was a huge focus for Jason Ruona and Pual Wynn as the goal was to get the entire team up to speed and working like a well-oiled machine. The results were absolutely stunning.
With the best of the best being on hand, the Nationals is always a great opportunity for the young and talented drivers to make a name for themselves. Stand out with your skills in the stock classes and get noticed by every team manager in the game. Win a National title, then you’re making headlines and earning something that few will ever achieve in their racing career. This year, the young talent really stood out with many blessed with the skills to progress racing locally and on the national level.
This year’s layout was done by Curt Schlichter of The Ohio Factory. For those who are in the know, The Ohio Factory is also host to the world-famous CRCRC race in January. At first, there was a lot of concern since the national’s track was being built by someone who wasn’t accustomed to the dirt and process. However, after a few rounds of practice on the track, the worries and concerns disappeared as the track developed grip very quickly and was never an issue for the rest of the weekend. Overall, the grip was consistent day to day and really, that’s all you could ask for. The tire program was the same each day, which was nice for the racers.
Overall, the layout had one line and that line was narrow. The tricky part was you couldn’t tell when the track grooved up because the surface never changed color like your typical tracks. Despite being one lined, the layout was really fun to run on as many drivers complimented on the track’s natural flow. The jumps worked well and cleverly placed to challenge racers skill, but yet simple enough that you raced your competition and not the track itself. The true key to getting good results on this layout was all about qualifying. Start in the back half of the grid and trying to find your way to the front was nearly impossible. Start at the front and your chances went up dramatically for a podium finish.
17.5 2wd Short Course Truck
Setting the overall TQ in 17.5 SCT was the talented, Dreighton Stoub. During A1, Dreighton took a commanding win, however in A2, Davey Batta showed that he was also a contender as he won A2 and forced a showdown between him and Dreighton in A3. Despite a great run from Davey in A3, Dreighton was on top of his game and cruised his way to another victory and locked up the overall. Davey finished 2nd with Matt Wilbert taking the final spot on the podium in 3rd.
17.5 Racing Truck
TLR/JConcepts’ Kaden Fuller was the driver to beat in 17.5 Racing Truck. Despite qualifying 3rd, Kaden drove with poise and experience beyond his years and was able to deliver race-winning performance in A1 and A2 to earn his 1st Stock National title. Congrats to Kaden on a fantastic drive and also to Nick Richards, who finished 2nd after a clutch win in A3. Austin Weiland drove with a lot of heart and worked his way up to finish 3rd overall.
17.5 2wd Stock Buggy
It was another lights out performance by Dreighton Stoub in the 17.5 2wd Stock Buggy class as his super-speed saw him set the overall TQ and win out the class in just 2 mains. Once again, Coyote Hobbies’ Davey Batta was on the prowl and looked strong all weekend as he finished 2nd overall with a 2nd place in A1 and a clutch win in A3. Team Associated’s Galen McCreary had an excellent A1 and A3 and gave him 5 points total, which was good enough to place him 3rd overall in the highly competitive 17.5 2wd buggy class.
13.5 4wd Buggy
Completing his stock trifecta, Dreighton Stoub proved that he is currently the fastest stock racer in the land with another dominant performance in 13.5 4wd buggy class. Dreighton earned himself the overall TQ and then went on to win A1 and A2 to lock up his 3rd National title of the event. The closest competitor to Dreighton was AE/JConcepts’ Aj Marasco. Aj found himself in the lead on a few occasions and won A3 and finished 2nd overall. AE’s Galen McCreary stepped up his 4wd game in A3 finished 2nd to jump him up to 3rd overall on the podium.
Modified SCT
From seeding to his race in A3, AE/JConcepts’ Spencer Rivkin’s speed rose dramatically and peaked at the right time in the Modified SCT class. After a tough qualifying effort, Spencer dialed in his SC6.1 and found the speed to win A2 and A3 in dramatic fashion to claim his 1st National Championship over the weekend. TLR’s Dakotah Phend was quick on every run and finished 2nd overall by scoring a win in A1 and a 2nd in A2. AE/JConcepts’ Alex Kosciuszek had two 2nd place finished landed himself 3rd overall to complete a very fast SCT 3.
Modified Racing Truck
Modified Racing Truck title was up for grabs as many showed the speed to win, but making it happen was Xray’s Ty Tessmann. Ty’s pace increased throughout the weekend making it hard on his competition and he ultimately won A1 and A3 to claim the National Mod Truck title. From 4th on the grid, it was going to be a tough task for AE/JConcepts’ Broc Champlin but he nearly made it happen with a win in A2. Just 1 point shy of Ty, Broc finished 2nd with TLR’s Dakotah Phend racing himself to be the 3rd fastest truck driver in North America.
2wd Modified Buggy
It was an epic showdown for the 2wd Modified title at this year’s 2019 Nationals. With a field that’s super deep, just making the main proved to be a massive challenge. Showing extreme speed all weekend was AE/JConcepts’ Spencer Rivkin, who was remarkably motivated to defend his 2wd title from last year’s Nationals at Hobby Action. After securing the overall TQ spot, it was Spencer’s race to lose. However, under the immense pressure, Spencer rose to the occasion. A1 saw Xray’s Ty Tessmann’s determination took the win, but it was Spencer fantastic drive that got him the win in A2 to set up a classic showdown in A3. With pressure from Tessmann and Maifield, Spencer crushingly delivered a flawless run in the final main that his competiti0n wasn’t able to match. After 6 long minutes, Spencer crossed the line in 1st place and earned himself another 2wd title. Congrats to Spencer Rivkin on his well-deserved win! Tessmann finished 2nd and Yokomo/JConcepts’ Ryan Maifield found the 3rd spot on the podium from 5th on the grid.
4wd Modified Buggy
2019 has been a great 4wd year for Yokomo/JConcepts’ Ryan Maifield as he’s racked up some serious wins. The current IFMAR 4wd WC made critical setup changes at the right time allowing him to have the car that was capable of winning. With Xray’s Ty Tessmann surprising the field with his winning speed in A1, Maifield bounced back and won A2. With everything on the line in A3, Maifield put his head down and led from tone to tone in and impressively won the final main to give him his 23rd National Championship title. Tessmann finished 2nd overall and AE/JConcepts’ Spencer Rivkin rounded out the top 3.
– Winning Product Used –
We had a chance to do a fully detailed, Inside Look on Spencer’s winning ride so if you want to know what gear he used, check it out here.
– Videos –
Below are the videos of all of the A-Mains! Check them out. Huge thanks to the EN Hobbies crew for putting on a terrific race event. The hard work really showed as this was one of the best-presented ROAR Nats in a long time. Great job and congratulations.
A1 Mains
A2 Mains
A3 Mains
Behind The Scenes Highlights